Collection: Cough & Cold Relief

Traditional Ayurvedic herbs and honeys used for cough, cold and throat comfort: the kadha ingredients most Indian households already reach for.

The Classic Combination

Tulsi, dry ginger and honey. This is the standard home remedy across India and there is sense behind it: tulsi for the respiratory tract, ginger for warmth and to loosen congestion, honey to coat and soothe the throat.

• Tulsi (Holy Basil): steep, do not boil hard; the volatile oils cook off
• Dry Ginger (Sonth): stronger and more warming than fresh ginger
• Ajwain Honey: the one traditionally kept for throat, not for sweetening tea
• Baheda (Bibhitaki): the kapha-clearing herb of Triphala, for congestion
• Neem Giloy: taken through the season rather than during illness

A Simple Kadha

½ tsp tulsi + ¼ tsp dry ginger, steeped in a cup of hot water for 5 minutes. Strain, cool slightly, then stir in a teaspoon of honey.

Add honey only after it has cooled a little. Never add honey to boiling water. Ayurveda specifically advises against heating honey, and heat destroys its natural enzymes.

For Throat Specifically

Take ajwain honey neat, a teaspoon at a time, and let it coat the throat rather than diluting it in a drink.

When Home Remedies Are Not Enough

See a doctor for: a cough lasting more than two weeks, fever above 38.5°C or lasting more than three days, difficulty breathing, chest pain, coughing up blood, or any breathing difficulty in a child.

Kadha is for a common cold. It is not for pneumonia, and the difference matters.

Never give honey to a child under 12 months: risk of infant botulism.

Food products, not medicines. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.